Heroes of Domino City: Jaden
by TheSingingSword
Summary: Jaden Yuki enters a city's annual tourney to earn money for a friend. But things don't go as planned. The games are ruined by a masked figure who surfaces and causes monstrous Fiends to manifest themselves from the Shadow Realm to stalk the countryside, and by a troublesome knight who plots to take his prized card, Elemental HERO Terra Firma, by any means necessary.
1. Part 1: The Oracle

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh or GX. However, the OC's and the fantasy world in which they live are of my creation.

* * *

**Applemarble, Elleria**

**January 3rd**

**Year 18 4AOS**

* * *

The bodies hanging on the posts by the road had been up there for a while. They were now skeletons and a few rags of cloth, dangling from the noose and waving like a macabre flag in the evening breeze. The air was perfumed with rot mixed with pine from the forest, doing its best to mask the horrible smell lingering over the road. In the middle of the dangling corpses was a wooden pike, capped with the not-so-clean head of a Yeyunist priest, still wearing the crimson red mitre of the Covenant. Maggots were swarming in his mouth and nose. His eyes were gone, picked by the crows long ago. The left cheek was nibbled away, revealing browned teeth and blackened gums. For Jaden Yuki, it was a sight that was growing all too common nowadays.

"Wait!" a girl cried out from behind him. "Wait, I said!"

He turned and saw his traveling companion, Della struggling to keep up with him. Jaden sighed, shaking his head, blaming the size of the gray military-style scout backpack she bought specially for their journey up north. It was loaded with who-knew-what; he could hear the contents of the pack crashing dangerously against one another inside.

"I told you there was no need for that," Jaden grumbled. "I mean come on, it's not like we're going far, right?"

"You call fifty-thousand leagues not far, Jaden Yuki?" Della moaned. "Ana's Grace, I can't go on anymore." She stopped talking as soon as she noticed the skeletons on the nooses. She whimpered in fright and stumbled backward, using every ounce of her willpower to keep from screaming. "Goddesses! Wha...what is this?"

"They're Naralians," said Jaden.

Della stood still. "How can you tell?"

"The clothing they're wearing," Jaden replied. "See?" He pointed at their padded orange and black uniforms, garments of Naralian military personnel. The crest of a crowned grizzly bear with two crossed swords behind it was stitched to their shoulders. "These two were soldiers. And this poor fucker here was a priest." He placed his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Well, I guess we can rest a little easy here. Doesn't look like the folk here take too kindly to King Forrest or the Church of Yeyu."

"Let's get out of here," Della said impatiently. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and marched down the road to get away from the skeletons. "I'm hungry, I'm tired, and I want a bath! Quickly now, I'd love to be behind some solid city walls before any fiends show up."

Jaden nodded in agreement and followed her after taking one last look at the dead Naralians. As soon as the sun went down behind the horizon, the two companions quickened their peace. Once night fell, Fiends from the Shadow Realm would pop up and begin to stalk the forests until the sun went down. Now that there were whispers of a great evil stirring in the Black Continent, their sightings were growing much more frequent, and the fiends grew to be more powerful.

Thankfully, the GPS on the TACPAD mounted on his wrist revealed a town not too far away from where he was. He was sure glad for that bit of news. He was bushed, and it was time to find an inn to eat and rest for the night. The application, called KaibaATLAS, revealed a holographic arrow in front of Jaden's feet and a compass to help him find his way out of the forest.

The arrow led him towards a hill, which felt like finding a light at the end of a dark tunnel. He ran all the way to the top where he could make out the walled city by the lake in the distance.

"Wow!" he said out loud. It was far bigger than he expected. The market, luxurious abodes of stone and wood, and a castellan's castle in the center were surrounded by a white wall, giving Jaden hope that there were shops offering supplies he needed for the road. He could hear the bells tolling in the town square. The air above the town was shrouded in a friendly, white cloud of smoke from the chimneys.

The town outside the wall was cozy and quaint, all of them painted white with blue shutters and roofs to match the cerulean lake nearby. Chimneys also smoked from each house and lines of laundry lazily swung in the gentle mountain breeze. The windows were all glowing with a friendly amber glow, signaling warm fires and lit lamps. Large white windmills spun across the countryside, quilted in agriculture, looking like giants welcoming Jaden to the town.

Jaden's expression turned to awe when he saw a series of mountains rolling in the background, some of them reaching high into the sky and touching the clouds, the tops disappearing into the night sky.

"Applemarble," Jaden read on the map. "We made it."

"But it's so far," Della whined. "Oh, I'll never make it."

"Yes, you can," Jaden urged her. "Look! The town is just over this hill. Pretty soon, you'll be set inside the temple and figure out what that strange gift of yours is. At least, I hope we can figure it out. You're a bit of an arcane mystery, Della. I mean, you powered up Zane's Cyber Pharos. How?"

"Hopefully the High Priestess can answer some of those questions," Della said, collapsing to her knees. "I'm fine," she said, halting Jaden's advance with a raised palm. "I don't know what caused me to unleash such a thing either, Jaden. To be honest, it frightens me."

Jaden held out his hand and helped her back to her feet. "Hey, I know we can figure something out. Power can be a pretty scary gift, especially if you don't know what that power is or how it functions. Trust me, when I first learned I could summon Elemental HEROES, it was kind of scary."

"You found them because of that sword, right?" she asked, pointing at the blade Jaden had strapped to his back and wrapped in burlap so no one could see it. The iridescent blade and its gold craftsmanship would have given them unwanted attention from bandits and other vagabonds of the Termnnian roads.

Jaden looked over his shoulder, noticing the rainbow opal on the pommel was sticking out. "Yeah," he said. "It was because of this thing that they came to me. You can thank Yugi for leading me to it." He chuckled, remembering the young Master. "Anyways, once I learned how to control them and understood them, I started to like them. Now, they're all buddies of mine, and I can't wait to unlock more."

Wooo! Winged Kuriboh agreed, flying out from behind him.

Della didn't feel any better. "What if it hurts people, Jaden? What if I'm dangerous?"

"Yeah, special abilities like yours are something else, but you know something, Della? You've got a good heart. I know you can control it. If it wasn't for you, Aldric would have beaten us that night. So you're the real hero of that battle, Della."

Della brushed some of her curled bangs off the side of her face and smiled. "You really think so, Jaden?"

"Yeah. Trust me, everything is gonna be all right."

Just as Della was about to speak a large growl thundered across the forest. Her face flushed into a shade of crimson as she gasped and clutched her stomach.

Jaden laughed. "But first, we should go get you something to eat."

"Of course," Della said with a weak chuckle. "But let us not have ourselves a smorgasbord like last time. We must make this quick, for the High Priestess is waiting for me."

It was a long walk down the hill towards the area around the walled city. Fair Blossom was the name of the town that surrounded Applemarble. Priestesses from the Temple of Entuli were lighting beacons of holy light to keep the fiends away.

From behind a sign, a young chap in regal clothing of turquoise and red with silver accents walked out in front of Jaden and held out his palm. His inky-black hair was slicked and crusted with gel, and his nose so pointed with his ego, it could have touched the sky.

"Halt!" he said. "You are a Duelist! Stand and face me, for I challenge you!"

"What gives?" Jaden said with a groan.

"I am Ser Henry Belbarth of Oxenhold."

"And that means what to me?" Jaden asked.

"Hmph! That foul attitude and those rags. Bah! You're one of those lazy, uncultured swine from the Southern Kingdoms. I heard you can't spend two seconds without constantly having to look at those handheld sloth makers you call phones. You think you're so much better than us with your technology."

"It has its perks. Why do you want to Duel me for?"

Ser Henry stood up straight, puffing out his chest to show off the jeweled escutcheon stiched to his velvet doublet. "I am bound by an oath to my lady, Maiden Akiza Izinski the Red Rose of Gardenrealm!"

Jaden backed away a bit. "Whoa, hold on, you know Akiza Izinski?"

"Oh, she's one of the Knights of the Crimson Dragon," said Della. "I've read so much about her. She's my hero!"

"As she should be, you lowly peasant! And my oath to her is one of true love and marriage!"

Jaden snorted. "Get real? A Knight of the Crimson Dragon marrying the likes of you?"

"Yes. She said so herself when I professed my undying love for her. She said that if I were to defeat one thousand Duelists all over Termnnia, then she would agree to marry me."

Jaden shook his head. "Yeah, I'll bet she did." He winked at Della who was laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.

Ser Henry morphed his gold-ruby ring into a Duel Disk. "Now after I defeat you, that leaves nine-hundred and ninety-nine Duelists left. I have a long way to go, so let's hurry this up, shall we?"

"I am so sorry, Ser Henry," Della giggled. "But Jaden is one of the best Duelists around. I'm sure you play a good game, but you'll only be wasting his time."

Ser Henry glared at her. "Hmph! Jaden! You will do well to teach your companion that a proper woman holds her tongue in the presence of a gentleman."

"Whatever man!" Jaden yelled. He held out his arm and his Duel Disk materialized over his wrist. "She can talk whenever she wants to. You want to Duel, then it's on! Get your game on!"

"What is that? Some stupid phrase you Southerners like to say. Well, here in the North, we like to say. Duel! As the challenger, I will start first. I summon The Agent of Creation - Venus in attack mode."

The clouds parted and a ray of light beamed down, creating a golden angel in green robes and purple-feathered wings.

"Beautiful, isn't she? And I'll use her ability to spruce up my defenses. I pay 1000 of my life points to special summon two Mystical Shine Balls to the field."

Venus clasped her hands together and muttered a prayer, summoning two orbs of light with 500 ATK and 500 DEF.

"Next, I equip Venus with the magic of Silver Bow and Arrow, increasing her attack points to 1900! That shall do it for me, Jaden. Your move!"

"Not bad," Jaden said as he drew. "I throw-down a face-down. Then I'm gonna warm things up with Elemental HERO Heat in attack mode!"

Flames burst out of the ground in front of Jaden. The flames then formed into a muscular fighter in a red, white, and yellow costume.

"Just so you know," Jaden said as Heat floated down beside him. "Heat gains 200 attack points for every HERO on the field including himself."

Ser Henry wasn't bothered. "Really? He's still weaker than my agent."

"Then attack if he's so weak," Jaden taunted.

Ser Henry drew. "Very well, I shall rid the field of that...that...thing. First, I will raise the attack of my Venus by another 400 points with the magic of Elf's Light! Now, her attack raises to the top of the charts. At 2300 attack points, she will wipe the field of that poor excuse of a monster. Go!"

Venus aimed one of her arrows of light at Heat's chest. "Fire!" Ser Henry commanded.

"I activate Wall of Disruption!"

"A trap!" Ser Henry cried in desperation.

"Well, duh! And this trap will lower the attack of your attack position monsters by 800 points for each monster you control, reducing Venus's attack to 0."

Heat caught the arrow and burned it to cinders. He jumped into the air and raised his fist, enveloping it in flames. He flew down and punched Venus in the stomach.

"NO!" Ser Henry shouted. "Venus! You'll pay for that!"

**Ser Henry - 1200 LP**

**Jaden - 4000 LP**

Jaden laughed. "Nah, I don't think I will. Still, this is the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Fun? How can you be having fun? We're in the middle of a battle here!"

"Don't think of it that way," Jaden said with a smile. "You'll never truly appreciate the game thinking of it like that. Or, for that matter, win. I mean, as convoluted as your goals are, I think it's great that I got to meet you and Duel you. Even Kings Duel to settle things out. The Dueling Pact. See, that's what it's all about. Duel Monsters is about coming together, making friends, and having fun."

"Friends? I will never be friends with the likes of you! Spare me your speeches, peasant! Get on with your turn."

"Sheesh, I will then. I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman! Now, both he and Heat will take down your two little orbs, leaving you wide open. Your move. And you better make it a good one, otherwise, it's game next turn."

"You dare make a mockery of Ser Henry! Watch! I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I use Monster Reborn to bring back Venus! But she won't stay with us for long. I sacrifice her to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!"

"Uh oh." Jaden shielded his eyes from the bright light. When he lowered his hand, he was face-to-face with a towering king in golden armor, a shimmering cloth-of-gold cape, and blue metal hands.

**ATK/2400 DEF/1000**

"Now, Jaden! When he's summoned, Kuraz allows me to destroy two cards on the field. And since your two inadequate HEROES are the only ones out there, they will go! Kuraz! Vanquish them at once and bring me closer to my darling, Akiza!"

Kuraz held out his hands. Orbs of light formed over his palms, followed by gold arcane circles that spun under the feet of Jaden's two monsters. Kuraz closed his palms, crushing the light. The circles than shot out bolts of lightning and zapped Jaden's monsters, shattering them like glass.

"Lucky for you, Kuraz cannot attack when he's summoned. But, I will boost his power with this card, Axe of Despair, which will increase his attack by 1000! Now he's the most powerful monster on the field! Surrender, cur! You have nothing that can destroy him."

"Thirty-four-hundred attack points!" Della gasped.

"See, even your wench knows that there is no hope for you!"

"Please," Jaden scoffed. "You should have come up with something better than that. My turn. First, I'm using Graceful Charity. Now, I draw three cards and discard two. Finally, here's Monster Reborn! I revive the one and only, Elemental HERO Bladedge! Then, I'm using Polymerization to fuse together Elemental HERO Ocean and Woodsman to create Elemental HERO Terra Firma!"

"What's this? A fusion!"

One of Jaden's most beloved HEROES burst out of the ground. He flexed his muscles and then glided down to Jaden to stand beside him.

**Terra Firma**

**ATK/2500 DEF/2000**

**Bladedge**

**ATK/2600 DEF/1800**

Ser Henry breathed a sigh of relief. "He's impressive. But I knew it was just a bluff on your end. Denial can be a terrible thing in the face of defeat."

"Who are you kidding? You're the one who's going to lose here."

"Please! It appears that not only do you Southerners lack modesty, but you also fail at basic math. My Monarch is the strongest card on the field."

"And you Northerners are so overconfident, it's sickening!" Jaden countered. "Now, I use Terra Firma's special ability. I tribute Elemental HERO Bladedge and his attack points get added to Terra Firma's!"

Bladedge turned to light, which then got sucked into Terra Firma's body. He placed his massive hands on the spikes on his shoulders. It turned out, they were the hilts for two energy blades. He activated them, the energy blades hummed and shrouded the area around them in a fiery amber glow.

Della could not believe a monster's attack points could go that high. "Fifty-one-hundred attack points!" she breathed.

Ser Henry was at a loss for words, too. "What! No! Th-that just isn't fair! I wasn't anticipating a card that powerful!"

"Go, Terra Firma!" Jaden commanded. "Terra Firma Magma Slash!"

Terra Firm took to the air with a mighty bound. He then slashed Kuraz in half with his energy blades and wiped out the rest of his Life Points.

"NOOOO!" Ser Henry cried out. He lost his footing in the blast and flew a few feet backward, landing hard on the dusty road.

"And that's game!" Jaden said with a friendly salute.

Henry fell to his knees and gazed at the three moons sorrowfully. "I...I lost! But this is not the end of my journey to your heart, Akiza my love! Jaden! Hold on. That Terra Firma card is truly powerful! I must have him."

"What?"

"Yes. I will buy it from you. I need that card to fulfill my quest for Akiza's love."

Jaden rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Terra Firma is not for sale, man."

"All cards are for sale, fool! They all have a price. Cards are tools to bring power to Duelists. And with his power, I can complete my journey. I need him. I want him! And you will sell him to me!"

"No. Sorry. Terra Firma is not going anywhere. He's my buddy."

"Buddy?"

"My cards and I have a bond. One that can't be broken. Not by money or any other rare card out there."

"You'd feel the same if the card was common, right, Jaden?" Della asked.

"Of course. Like Master Yugi says. All cards have a heart and…"

"I've heard enough!" Ser Henry said, getting up from the ground. He drew his rapier. "You will hand the card over to me. And the girl, too. So I can teach her some proper manners. Hand them over now, or I will have your…."

Jaden unsheathed the Sword of HEROES from his back. The blade, glowing in all the colors of the rainbow, almost blinded Henry. The size and design of the blade made his rapier look like a toothpick by comparison.

"Or you'll what?" said Jaden. "Don't try to rob me or threaten my friends, man. Go cool off before you do something you're going to regret. And if I ever see you again, it's not gonna end peacefully as it is now. So back off!"

"I will have that card. Make no mistake of that!" Henry said putting the rapier away. He turned and stormed away.

Della shook her head. "Knighthood has definitely fallen from grace if Termnnia can allow villains like him to be knights."

"Blame the likes of Ser Godfrey and Ser Galm," Jaden said, sheathing the Sword of HEROES. "Those bastards made dishonoring knights mainstream. They and many others believe that just because they have the title 'Ser' they can do and take whatever they want. If we continue down this road, it's going to be the Baron Wars all over again."

"I sure hope not," said Della.

"Well, here's hoping our new High King can change things when he gets back." He smiled. "Say, that's this summer! And right on time for Master Rule 5."

"Oh, indeed," said Della. "Let's see if he can learn them well. I cannot wait to see you two Duel each other." Her stomach growled again. "Oh, Goddesses! Shut up!" she shouted, clutching her belly.

Jaden laughed. "Come on. There's an inn this way."

"We're not going into the city?"

"Nope. We ran out of time. The gates have closed for the night, so we're going to have to visit the temple in the morning."

"Very well, I'm in nor rush to learn of what sleeps inside of me. In fact, I'd rather not learn about it at all."

"That's no way to go about it. You're just going to keep being afraid your whole life. And that's not cool. I promise that no matter what goes on in there, I'll be right behind you."

"Promise!" Della said, holding out her pinky.

"Promise," Jaden said, embracing his pinky with hers. "Come on. Let's go eat and get some sleep. It's gonna be a busy day tomorrow."


	2. Mathias

As dawn broke out the next day, Ser Henry, the knight Jaden defeated the other night, snuck through the hedges and climbed over the wooden fence to the backyard of the Black Rose Inn, a franchise of taverns built by none other than the woman he hoped to impress, Lady Akiza Izinski of the Knights of the Crimson Dragon. The tavern was made of brick with a black-tiled roof. The walls were festooned with vines covered with roses. Henty put on his gloves made of dragonhide and climbed up the walls. The vines made it easy for him to scale the walls. He had a nasty grin on his face as he got nearer and nearer to Jaden's room, which were the luxury accommodations. Two floors all to himself and Della.

He got near the windowsill. What luck! It was opened. Hopefully, he could get the card he wanted and be on his way. By the time Jaden woke, Henry would be long gone from Applemarble. He reached over the windowsill and, at last, he was in the room. And there they were on a desk nestled right by the window of all places. But so overcome with greed for the deck Jaden used, Henry did not see the room was a bathhouse. He heard a sweet humming and looked up. Della, Jaden's pretty female companion was standing by the edge of the tub hanging up articles of clothing that he was not supposed to see. And she was damp from a bath she took earlier and was wrapped in a white towel.

Everything happened so fast. She turned and saw him hanging out of the windowsill. And in a matter of seconds, she screamed from the top of her lungs.

"JAAAADENNNN!" she cried out with all her might. "HELP! HELP! A BURGLAR!"

And just like that, Jaden burst through the black doors of the bathhouse and summoned Elemental HERO Flame Wingman. Henry thrust himself out the window just in time. Mere seconds after his fall started, the flames burst out the window, shattering the glass and incinerating the curtains. He was so close to the flames that he could feel the heat singe his back. And then he landed with a splat on the soft, cool, grass.

"Phew," he breathed. He thought that was it. But then he felt his butt was really warm. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the back of his pants caught fire. He didn't have time to drop and roll, he knew he couldn't do that. Jaden and Della would look over the window at any second and spot him. If he did, it was off to the dungeon with him. So he sped off like a flaming comet into the forest and disappeared. But he would be back.

* * *

Later that day, Jaden and Della had their breakfast and went into the city. With the increase in violence from radical Yeyunism going on, he had to show the guards a Letter of Safe Passage, which was written and handed to him by Prince Michael himself. As they neared the entrance, they passed by a monk, standing on the wooden box. This was the road the pilgrims of the Covenant would take to the Mountain of Vorak, a holy site where a saintly woman used her tears, blessed by Yeyu, to kill a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"To kill a Duelist is not a sin," said the monk. "But a pathway to paradise. To kill a Duelist is not a sin, but a pathway to paradise. To kill a Duelist is not a sin, but a pathway to paradise."

"And I'm the King of England," Jaden muttered. He put an arm over Della and held her close to avoid the monk's gaze.

At the gate, Jaden showed the guard his letter of passage and they walked in freely with no problem.

Jaden sniffed the air, perfumed with sweet meat and freshly baked pastries. Fish caught from the lake were frying in the pots, and there were funnel cakes. Carts and carts full of funnel cakes.

"Aw, yeah! This is more like it!" Jaden said, stretching, relieved to be behind city walls. "I'm gonna head straight to the card shop and see what's new."

"Excuse me!" said Della. "Slow down, will you? Your Elemental HERO burned all my underwear! You owe me some new clothes you big jerk. I need that money more than you, hand it over!"

Jaden scratched the back of his head. He had hoped walking through the city walls was going to quell her anger. Winged Kuriboh appeared before him and bumped his face. "Ow, come on! It's not my fault she left them hanging there."

"How was I supposed to know we were about to be robbed, Jaden! You couldn't have dealt with the robber yourself? Why must you go extra? Why did you need an Elemental HERO to take on a petty burglar? You realize we had to use most of our travel funds to pay for the damage you caused."

"That's nothing," said Jaden. "Once I win this tournament, we'll buy you all the clothes you need and then some."

Just then, a knight in gold and white armor approached them. His royal red cape flapped behind him elegantly. His helm looked like it had wings and was crested with the upper body of a pegasus. "Della?" the knight said taking off his helmet to reveal a young man with short, brown, hair. "Della is that you?"

Della placed both hands over her mouth and breathed heavily. "Mathias? I..I can't believe it's you."

"I thought I'd never see you again. Look at you. You've grown much more beautiful."

"And look at you," said Della. "My goodness, a Knight of the Sword Goddess. You, a boy always running from the law and stealing from every vendor in town? Who'd a thunk it?"

"And your traveling companion. Bless my soul, it's Jaden Yuki. I read about your rescue of Princess Alexis Rhodes. Such gallantry. Such bravery. It's a shame you didn't take the oath to a lord, or the King of Eredas. You would make a fine knight."

"Nah, too many rules to follow," Jaden said with a chuckle. "Well, our mission to save Alexis is kind of why we are here."

"I heard from the High Priestess of the Seven," said Mathias. "Della unlocked a strange power that helped Zane's synthetic dragon destroy that villain, Aldric."

"Have you heard anything about him?" Della asked.

"Nothing. But with heroes like Jaden, Zane, and Aster around, I doubt he'll show his face in Domino City again."

"Still," said Della, "it would be good to get the other half of the Heart of Helios back. Aldric can still cause great damage with that stone."

"If he causes any trouble, we know who to call, isn't that right, Jaden."

"Right. So, uh, Mathias, right? Think you can watch Della for me and attend to that temple business. I've got to register for the tournament."

"Of course," Della said disappointedly. "Always thinking of Duel Monsters. Just keep an eye out, Jaden. I have a feeling we're not going to stop running into trouble here."

"Yeah, same to you, Della." He walked away, leaving Della with her old friend.

"How did you run into him?" Mathias asked.

"He saved me from bandits who were commanded by Aldric to find my stone. After that, he became my best friend."

"Oh," Mathias said, feeling rather hurt. "And what of me?"

Della bit her lip, realizing the fault in her words. "Forgive me, Matty. I still consider you a dear friend. It's not that I've forgotten you or anything. It's just been so long since we've seen each other. You went off to be a knight, and I a priestess. I never heard from you since then."

"That was my fault," Mathias admitted. He led her toward the temple. "I admit I sort of got side-tracked with my tasks in the Temple Knighthood."

"It is no excuse," said Della. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You knew where I resided and you failed to send me a letter or anything. You couldn't have told me where you were so I could write to you, at least? I thought you had forgotten all about me."

"I apologize." He stopped. "Listen, Della, I was wondering. If you weren't busy after your meeting with the High Priestess of the Seven, I was thinking we could...you know, catch up. Four years is a long time."

"You mean a date?"

"Date? The fruit?"

Della couldn't help but laugh at that. "Forgive me, I've been stuck in the Southeast for so long. Do you wish to take me out for the evening?"

"It would be a great honor for me, Della. Consider it my way of making it up to you for all these years apart. My coffers are at your disposal. It's the least I can do."

"I'll have to think about it, Matty. I've got so much to do right now. If there's time and I'm feeling up to it, perhaps I'll accept. For now, I must attend to my duties."

* * *

Jaden registered for the tournament and in no time at all found himself in his first match against an opponent with a very interesting dragon deck. They played in an arena out in the fields by the jousting tilts. The colorful streamers hanging above the Dueling Grounds gave the arena a very festive look. As Jaden and his opponent got into position, a merry band sitting on a balcony seats above grounds started to play. Finally, the Duel started.

Jaden's opponent's first turn was just a swarm of different monsters coming out like crazy until he had a powerful lineup of dragons. Saryuja Skull Dread, Borreload Savage Dragon, Triple Blast Dragon, and an Apollousa to negate Jaden's effects. However, to get those monsters out, the opponent foolishly paid half his Life Points. Jaden got to work on this at once.

"Turn Two!" called the crier. "Ser Kenneth of Frostborne stands at 4000 Life Points. Jaden Yuki stands with 8000 Life Points. Begin, Jaden!"

Jaden nodded and drew. "Nice set up you've got there. Took an eternity. But, good job. Now I'm gonna show you what my HEROES can do. First, since I control no cards, I can activate this Trap Card from my hand. Infinite Impermanence, which I'll use to negate the effects of Borreload Savage Dragon. Next, I summon Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier!"

"My Apollousa will negate his effect!" said Ser Kenneth.

"Good, because now I'm using Mask Change, switching out Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier for Masked HERO Acid!"

A flash of light and Liquid Soldier was gone, replaced by a comic book hero with a small gun that shot acid.

"Now, here comes the fun part! Acid destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field and your monsters lose 300 attack points. Now, I'll attack Apollousa!"

"Oh no!" cried Ser Kenneth. His Life Points went down to 1900. "Nice play, Jaden. Hopefully, this will turn things around."

He special summoned a few dragons and then used them to Link Summon Borrelsword Dragon. With 3000 ATK he overpowered Jaden's Masked HERO Acid. Then, Borrelsword switched Borreload to defense mode to attack Jaden again, reducing his Life Points to 4000. Jaden was knocked back a few feet and landed on his back, sliding to a stop. He kicked himself back up and drew.

"I summon Elemental HERO Blazeman!" shouted Jaden. "Blazeman's effect activates! I send an Elemental HERO to the grave and his attack points become equal to the monster I used. My buddy Bladedge will lend his points to Blazeman."

"Still not enough," sneered Ser Kennety. "My Borrelsword Dragon is still stronger."

"Oh-ho, I'm not done yet, man. Now, I use Polymerization to fuse Elemental HERO Stratos with Liquid Soldier to create Elemental HERO Sunrise!"

"Still not enough," laughed Ser Kenneth.

"I'm not done, Kenneth. Now, with Sunrise's effect, I can add Miracle Fusion to my hand. And I'll use it to fuse Elemental HERO Ocean and Woodsman to summon Elemental HERO Terra Firma!"

The crowd applauded. Amongst the audience was Ser Henry, eyeing the monster with jealousy. "There he is! The card I need to win Akiza's love! I must have it!"

Jaden continued. "Now, I sacrifice Blazeman and his attack points get transferred to Terra Firma's."

**ATK/5400**

Terra Firma picked up the energy swords from his shoulders and charged at Borrelsword Dragon destroying it and ending the Duel, winning him his first match of the tournament. He still had a long way to go, but with his Elemental HEROES fighting with him, Jaden was confident he could prevail over anything the games had to throw at him.

He was watched from above the stands by a priest with a red-visored mask. "Jaden Yuki," he said. "Not bad. Your Elemental HEROES are impressive, but let's see how they can fare against my beasts."

He snapped his fingers and summoned a portal. He walked in and vanished.


End file.
